Support for skeins of silk



(No Model.)

' P. G. TURNER.

By remarriage now P. G. GARDNER. SUPPORT FOR SKEINS 0P SILK.

Patented Mar. 23, 1897.

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\Hiigsszs PI-IOEBE G. TURNER, (NOWV BY REMARRIAGE PHOEBE G. GARDNERJ OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA.

SUPPORT FOR SKEINS F SILK.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent NO. 579,523, dated March 23, 189'?- Application filed October '7, 1895. Serial No. 564,945. (No modeL l To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, PHOEBE G. TURNER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented a new and useful Support for Skeins of Silk, of which the following is a specification.

In handling embroidery and other silk and floss in skeins great difficulty, annoyance,

and vexation are experienced in keeping the same from becoming tangled, and, moreover, valuable time is frequently lost in straightening out the same, and oftentimes the silk, floss, or other material is thrown aside because of its becoming hopelessly tangled.

This invention fills a want long felt both by merchants and consumers, inasmuch as it provides means to hold the skeins and admits of handling the same without any fear of tangling the strands, and which will be si1n ple and effective for the purpose designed and not add materially to the cost of the article considering the resultant advantages and the objectionable features obviated thereby.

The improvement consists, primarily, of a support having metal fastenings at its ends to receive and make positive engagement with the folded ends of the skein, so as to hold the latter straightened, and provided with a series of openings at intervals in its length in the same straight line through which the skein is adapted to be rove. Itis also contemplated to provide the supports in book form and have the leaves thereof form the supports to which 3 5 are attached the metal fastenin gs for securing the skeins thereto, and in this style of the invention' the books will be placed on sale and are adapted to receive the skeins, which can be attached thereto by the consumer, so that 40 the materialis easilyaccessible and a needlelength can be secured without necessitating the removal of the skein from its fastenings and without liability of entangling the strands. These books also serve as a convenient means for storing the material and for exposing the same when it is required to select a particular shade for any special purpose.

The invention also consists of a protector for the skeins placed upon the market, thereby excluding dust and other injurious matter from thematerial, and this protector consists of a transparent material which is attached to the support and incloses the skein affixed thereto, and by having this protector transparent the color and shade of the material can be observed without breaking the protector or opening the same in any manner.

The invention also consists in certain details and novel features which hereinafterwill be more particularly illustrated, described,

and finally claimed.

Referring to the drawings, which illustrate an embodiment of the invention, although slight changes in the details of construction and arrangement of the parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, Figure 1 is a plan view of the invention of the book form having the leaves spread. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a support, showing the preferred form of fastener for attaching the skein thereto. Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the supports affixed to a backing and the latter provided with breaklines between the supports. Fig. 4 is a detail 7 5 view showing the skein rove through openings in the length of a strip and attached to a support. Fig. 5 is a detail view of the preferred form of metal fastener. Fig. 6 is a cross-section on the line X X of Fig. 2.

The same reference-numerals indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings, and in the latter 1 denotes the skein of silk, floss, or other material, 2 the support therefor, and 3 the metal fastenings at or near 8 5 the ends of the support to receive and engage with the folded ends of the skein, and by means of which the latter is removably attached to its support. The support 2 may be of still paper, card, or press board, or other cheap material suitable for the purpose, and may be provided in strips or a single length of connected strips, the latter being separated by lines of perforations or break-lines 4, by means of which 5 the individual strips can be readily separated when required. The latter is the preferable mode of providing the invention for commercial purposes, as the merchant upon making a sale can detach the support provided with the required skein and handle the same without entangling the strands.

Instead of the supports being provided in series and separated by break-lines they can be attached to a suitable backing 5, of paper, which is provided between the supports with lines of perforationsto admit of the ready separation and detachment of the supports for any required purpose.

The metal fastenings 3 may be formed of wire or narrow strips of metal and mayhave any shape found best adapted for the purpose which will readily admit of the skeins being applied thereto and quickly disconnected therefrom. The fastening best adapted for the purpose is a plate 6, having an extended base 7, which is formed at and intermediate of its ends with prongs 8, which are adapted to be passed through suitable openings in the support and have the projecting extremities clenched upon the support in the usual manner, the end of the plate being curled to form a spring-hook 9,with which the skein is engaged and is prevented from accidental disengagement by having the end portion of the hook touching the body of the plate, so that a certain amount of force is required to disconnect the skein from the hook. As before intimated, any form of metallic fastener may be employed, but that shown is preferred on account of its simplicity and the ease with which the skein can be attached to and removed therefrom, and because it ohviates the accidental disengagement of the skein.

The strip 10, to which the skein is applied, is preferably of stiff paper or cardboard, and is formed at intervals in its length with a series of openings through which is rove the skein, the end portions of the latter projecting beyond the extremities of the strip, so as to be engaged by the metal fastenin of the support. If preferred, the support itself will be supplied with a series of openings through which the skein isrove, as clearly indicated in Fig. 1, and this is best adapted for the use of the consumer, inasmuch as it confines the strands at various points in the length of the skein.

The book form is best adapted for consumers, and the manner of providing the same is immaterial. The leaves may be attached to a common back and inclosed between covers, or they may form parts of a continuous strip and be adapted to fold alternately orin the same direction, as will be readily understood, the latter construction being shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. The strands may extend in parallelism or may be twisted or plaited or otherwise arranged, so as to prevent their entanglin g.

The protector 11 for inclosing the skein is thin and transparent and is secured to the support in any desired manner, preferably by being gummed thereto, so as to exclude dust and other matter and objects which are liable to work injury to the material if left exposed. Thus the silk, 850., can be exposed without the liability of injury thereto by dust, handling, or from the usual causes which render goods shop-worn. This protector may be a thin paper, film, or other material adapted for the purpose, and may be applied to the support and skein so as to completely envelop the latter to attain the desired end.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is 1. In means for holding and preventing the tanglin g of skeins of silk and thread, the combination of a support formed with a series of openings in the same straight line and trans- Versely elongated, and adapted to have the skein rove therethrough, and metal fastenings at the ends of the straight line of openings and attached to the support in line with the openings, and adapted to engage with and receive the end portions of the skein, substantially as specified.

2. Means for holding skeins of silk and thread and preventing them from tangling, and protecting them from the influences of light and air, consisting of a support having fastenings at its ends to receive the loop ends of the skeins, and a protector of transparent material inclosing the skeins and secured by a close joint to the said support so as to exclude dust and prevent soiling by handling, substantially as set forth.

In means for holding skeins of silk and thread and preventing them from tangling, the combination of a backing, hooked metal fastenings at the ends of the backing, and a strip or support formed at intervals in its length with openings through which the skein is adapted to be rove, the loop ends of the 

